


Sailing Troubled Waters

by pastelpink449



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Cruise Ships, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Eren Yeager, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Pining Levi, Tattooed Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Titan-Haired Eren Yeager
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-23 13:28:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,601
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3770152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelpink449/pseuds/pastelpink449
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger is forced to go on a paid cruise with his best friend and sister, Armin and Mikasa, after they become fed up with his reclusive behavior. Lately, Eren has been giving up fighting against his dreadful anxiety and his friends can no longer stand aside and watch. But what happens when he meets short tempered, workaholic and gorgeous Levi on the trip? Will Eren let his anxiety get in the way of his happiness? Not if Levi has anything to say about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Taking a Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Woah, I've been putting off posting this for a pretty long time. I'm gonna start off with saying that this fic is really important to me and I'm kinda surprised that I actually got around to sharing it with you all. This is my first time posting on ao3, but it's not my first fic. And I'd just like to warn anyone that this fic is basically one big TRIGGER warning for people that suffer with anxiety. I actually wrote this fic while I was going on a cruise myself with my family (except there was no sexy Levi but w.e), and it helped me cope with my anxiety A LOT. Been on medication for almost a year after having a major crisis and I've never been better. If you need help, or fear that you might have any form of higher levels of anxiety, get help. I promise everything will be okay and that you're not alone in this war. Well then. I WILL be putting up warnings before a chapter if a panic attack will make an appearance. So, I guess kudos if you like, and comment feedback!

"No."

"Come on, Mikasa!"

"I said no, Eren."

"You can't make me go."  
The statement was followed by an annoyed glare from Eren.  
Mikasa exhaled the breath she'd begun to subconsciously hold. She knew convincing Eren to leave their home on a trip would be difficult, but she didn't think he'd put up this much of a fight either.

"Eren, we've already booked the tickets for the Cruise. This isn't refundable."

"God dammit, Mikasa! You know I can't do this.." His voice trailed off softly, a tinge of bitterness lacing his words. He didn't  _want_ to leave his room, much less his house.

"This'll be good for you. Please, just give it a chance, Eren."  
Eren immediately took notice of Mikasas tone. She was exhausted and he wasn't making it any better. He sighed, knowing his sister was going to have her way whether he liked it or not.

"Fine. But I have one condition."  
Mikasa lifted one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in question but her demeanor seemed to have brightened considerably.

"And what would that be?"

"If this trip ends up being a disaster, you and Armin will promise to stop interfering with my life." He met her stare head on, attempting to show her how serious he was about this.  
He knew he'd taken her by surprise judging by the slight widening of her eyes. She seemed to contemplate the idea for a moment, until she finally spoke.

"Deal."  
Damn. He didn't think that she'd actually agree with his shitty condition that easily. How he'd survive a week away from home, he had no clue. But now he'd truly fucked up. He should have just kept insisting, and maybe, just maybe, Mikasa would have given up on her attempts to make him go on this terrifying vacation.  
Eren hadn't always been like this. He used to love going on new-found adventures. If his past self would have been given the opportunity, he would have been absolutely delighted about the trip. Hell, he probably would have been the one to recommend it. But that part of him was long gone.

"Dammit Mika, are you that desperate to get me out of here? How the hell are you so sure that everything will be fine?" He was grasping at straws here, and she knew that. He was beginning to play with the longer strands of hair that hung in front of his face, a nervous gesture of his. Fuck, he was totally screwed.

"Eren. You have to fight this. Don't give in. You've always been a fighter, always protecting others. Like those times with Armin..." She trailed off with a glassy and slightly dazed look in her eyes, most likely remembering a moment in the past where he had beaten the shit out of that horse faced motherfucker, Jean, for trying to bully Armin for being gay. Fucking prick. Though the bullying had stopped soon after the dumbass figured out he was in love with his very  _male_ best friend, Marco. Again, fucking _dumbass_.

"Fuck, okay, I get it." He sighed. He couldn't wait for this to be over. His hands were already beginning to tremble with the thought of being stranded in the middle of the damn ocean without any form of escape.  
Fuck.  
How was he gonna do this? What if he got sick? He couldn't just go home, he'd be at  _sea_ for fucks sake.  
A gentle hand cautiously landed on his shoulder, startling the brunette from his negative thoughts.

"Eren? Are you feeling okay? Are you having an attack?" Mikasa hurriedly asked, each question sounding more frantic than the last. The monster that had been creeping into his mind suddenly disappeared. His thoughts were his own again. The anxiety was gone.  
Finally.

"No, I'm... good?" His voice cracked slightly at the end of his sentence, making him wince. It was bad enough that it sounded like he was  _asking_ his sister if he was okay. He was so damn fucked up.

"Are you sure? Did you take your medication?" Mikasa wouldn't stop looking over Eren with wide eyes, searching for any indication of his anxiety showing up.  
He sighed, tired and worn out with the constant battle his mind would go through. He always fought the monster, but it always left him feeling depressed and reclusive.

"I'm fine, Mika. It went away already." He assured her, wanting to offer comfort. This didn't seem to deter her though. She still looked worried out of her mind.  
"Are you absolutely sure?" She reached out and planted her hands on his shoulders, wanting to lock their gazes. Though it felt more like she was steadying herself to Eren.  
He hated making his sister worry about him, but it wasn't exactly easy to hide his problem when shaking hands and hazy eyes gave him away.

"Totally." He tried to make it sound like he was sure of himself, but he didn't think he'd done a good job judging by Mikasa's scrutinizing eyes. She looked him over for a second, just to make sure he wasn't close to frothing at the mouth anytime soon. Once she deemed he was okay, at least by her standards, she nodded and her face returned to its usual impasive state but after knowing her for so many years, he could still detect a hint of worry in her dark eyes.

"Everything will turn out great. I'd never let anything happen to you." A determined look flashed through her eyes vaguely reminding him of his past self, and it pained him that it was a look he could no longer associate with himself.  
He closed his eyes and filled his lungs with much needed oxygen. He was going to do this for Armin and Mikasa. Maybe he'd actually enjoy this dreaded vacation.  
His thoughts then drifted to forbidden territories, lurking with dangerous possibilities and outcomes.  
Fuck, who was he kidding? It would be a miracle if he actually didn't have one of his infamous freak outs during the trip. They were better off without him..

"Alright, just, stop bringing it up." He quickly breathed out. Mikasa looked him over for a few more seconds, nodded to herself, most likely satisfied with the look on his face (utter defeat), and walked out of his room. He was once again alone and left to his thoughts. A  _very_ dangerous combination.

Eren closed his eyes, sat down on the office chair in his room and leaned back, taking deep calming breathes waiting for the anxiety to pass.  
When he decided the lingering nerves were as low as they could get, he booted up his computer.  
He rhythmically tapped his fingers on the mouse, nodding to a nonexistent beat.  
When the computer was finally finished turning on, he immediately started up Firefox and began typing in the web address that always managed to ease his nerves.

Tumblr.

He logged in and immediately started scrolling through his dash, re-blogging all the posts that he could so easily relate to. It always made him feel better about himself when he saw that so many other people shared his fucked up problems.  
This was how he spent every day. In the morning he would take online college courses, dressed in comfy pajamas, and when he was done, he would laze around scrolling through Tumblr. Maybe even run on the treadmill and work out his abs in the exercise room situated in their home. Though he doesn't even know why he takes care of his physique when he lives the life of a hermit crab, and views his room as his shell. And who the fuck would want to deal with all his shit anyways?

A groan escaped his lips. Fuck life. Not only was he fucked up in the head, he was also as gay as rainbows and sparkles. What were the chances of him finding a suitable boyfriend that would accept his flaws and was also pretty nice to look at at? Eren wasn't a shallow guy, but he wanted  _something_ appealing to look at while locked away in his lair. Well, at least neither Armin or Mikasa were allergic to cats, so he could always settle for being the neighborhood cat man.

Suddenly thoughts of the future trip began to plague Eren's vulnerable mind again. He swore to himself. He seriously had to stop dwelling on the inevitable. If he ended up freaking out or having a panic attack, oh well. The worst that could happen is literally just that. Maybe he'd end up fainting too, but that's not too likely. He hadn't had an attack that bad since his mother had passed and he hoped to keep it that way.

Noticing that his thoughts were taking a turn for the worst, he turned off his computer and threw himself onto his bed, wrapping himself up in the still warm blankets. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and opened up Notes. Writing had always been an escape for Eren. Whenever he needed to distract himself, he'd whip out his phone or notebook and begin to write whatever came to mind. He opened up his most recent entry; a story about an apocalyptic world where humanity attempts to defeat the man-eating giants terrorizing them. After writing a decent amount, he placed his phone back on his desk. He then huddled under the sheets and closed his eyes, hoping that sleep would come quickly.

* * *

 

"Eren. Wake up." An arm was roughly shaking him awake from his slumber.

"I'm awake already." He slowly opened his sea green eyes, groaning when the sunlight blinded him for a quick second, and gazed at the person responsible for his waking. Mikasa loomed over Eren, waiting for him to finish adjusting to being out of dreamland. He brought his knuckles up to his face to cutely rub at his eyes while yawning widely.

"Sup?" Mikasa rolled her eyes at his lame greeting.

"You've been sleeping all afternoon. This isn't helping your insomnia."

Oh _god_ , the mom vibes were almost visible around her. Even if he didn't nap the afternoon away, he wasn't gonna be able to sleep at night anyways. It's like his brain was working overdrive at night.

"I'll stay awake, but I'm keeping my ass in bed." He quickly grabbed the covers and threw them over his head, clenching his hands on the fabric to keep them there just in case Mikasa tried to pull a fast one on him by ripping them off. Wouldn't be a first.  
He heard Mikasa huff at his behavior. She knew this was one of the few arguments she never won.

"Why are you such a man child?" She sounded exasperated but a bit of playfulness could be heard in her voice as well.  
Eren didn't even dignify that with a proper response. He peeked over his fluffy covers, making his face the only visible thing amongst his warm blanket cocoon. He then crossed his eyes as best as he could and blew her a messy raspberry.

"Ew, Eren! You got spit in my eye." She was scrubbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater, failing to hold in a slightly disgusted giggle.  
Eren snorted at her reaction, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips. Making his usually stone faced sister giggle was the best feeling in the world.

"Just get out before I fart. I've been holding in a big one since you woke me up and I'm about to blow it up."  
Her reaction was priceless. Her eyes widened and a look of horror graced her features. She bolted out the door in record time and Eren was left laughing so hard he started snorting.  
He heard Mikasa start speaking from the other side of the door where it was safe.

"Not funny, asshole! Your gas is always putrid when you hold it in too long!"  
Eren couldn't even speak. He was holding his stomach with tears in his eyes while soundless laughter left his lips, accompanied with a couple more snorts. He suddenly stopped, frozen in place and his already large eyes widened comically.

"Shit, it moved to my ribs."  
.....

The only thing that could be heard from inside Eren's room was an annoyed shout of, _"Stop laughing, I can't fucking breathe!"_


	2. Let me drown in your eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~Levi's POV!
> 
> A look into out favorite angsty shorty's life. Levi and Eren bump into each other as well, so there's that. *sweats nervously*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there readers, thank you so much for the kudos and comments! :3 I'm actually posting this chapter a little earlier than expected, so I hope you enjoy this chapter!!

Levi was currently hunched over a client adding the finishing touches to a full back piece. Once he was satisfied with the overall outcome, he straightened his back and winced when he both felt and heard his joints popping back into place. Today had been the final session which consisted of coloring and it had lasted a good six hours.

Levi hadn't always wanted to be a tattoo artist. Sure, he had always loved how they looked and had many of his own, what with him working in the industry. But he had started off wanting what every other Art Major wanted. To have their work hang in well known galleries, with unimaginable price tags. Kind of shallow now that he thinks back on it. Until one day his crazy as fuck best friend, Hanji, requested he draw up a design for a tattoo they wanted. Levi had accompanied them to the parlor due to his excitement on seeing something he had created on paper be transferred on to a living canvas.

He had immediately fallen in love with tattooing. He knew at that moment that he was going to be a tattoo artist and quickly began to further inform himself about the art form. He researched for nights trying to find a good enough artist that might actually think of giving him an apprenticeship. He ended up coming across Dot Pixis, an extremely well known artist that lived in the area and had been in the industry for over 30 years. He easily took a liking to Levi and that was that.

"Levi!" He jumps when he hears an overly familiar screech, successfully interrupting his thoughts. He turns towards the front of his shop and finds Hanji waiting by the front counter currently being managed by Ymir. He rolled his eyes and turned back to his client.

"Alright, we're all done with you tattoo. Wanna take a look in the mirror?" The man lifts himself from the tattoo bed and nods. Levi then leads him to a wall made up of only one large mirror. He hands the man a smaller hand-held mirror and turns him around to be able to gaze fully at his latest masterpiece. Levi wasn't the kind of guy to boast about his abilities, but he knew damn well that he was good at his job. And his ego was further stroked when the man openly gaped at his back. He was speechless and kept opening and closing his mouth.

"holy shit, man. This is....Amazing. More than what I could have asked for." Levi felt pride swell in his chest, just like every other time someone wholeheartedly praised his work. He knows it's hard to fake that kind of enthusiasm when a tattoo is involved due to it permanency. He looks back at the mans back and nods to himself. He had sketched out a beautiful Geisha dressed in lovely vibrant robes after having researched a bit about them. He had then added a few other Japanese elements that had really made the finished tattoo stand out. The man that had come in with little references but many ideas, had immediately nodded his head and been on board after seeing Levi's completed sketch. The man thanked Levi profusely after he had been informed about the aftercare. After he was patched up, he paid and was finally ready to go.

Finally with some free time on his hands, Levi turned and walked towards Hanji. They were currently jumping all over the place, unable to keep still while blabbering some nonsense to Ymir, who only nodded while picking at her ear with her pinky. How the fuck does Hanji have so much damn energy all the time?

"Stop harassing my damn staff, you shit." Hanji immediately turned all of their attention onto him and Ymir looked ready to drop to her knees and kiss the bottom of his shoes. "Oh, Levi! I have great news!" They practically tried to tackle him, but he quickly evaded them after recognizing an oncoming threat. Knowing Hanji for as long as he had, it became as easy as breathing. This didn't deter them though. The shit eating grin on their face actually grew. _How the fuck is that even possible?_

"Calm the fuck down, you look about ready to shit yourself." His face scrunched up at the thought. That was _exactly_ how he and Hanji had met. They had been in Kindergarten and Hanji had immediately attached themselves to Levi. At one point, they had started ranting about some kind of new show on the science channel and they had literally shit themselves in excitement. Levi had been traumatized to say the least. If that by any chance were to ever occur in his establishment, he'd make them lick his damn floor clean.

"I just took one so my bowels are pretty empty at the moment, thanks for worrying!" They grinned at Levi happily. He grimaced at her response and shook his head. "Why the hell are you here during my work hours?" He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose waiting for a reply.

"You're turning 29 soon!" They shouted, glee written all over their face. They were slightly jumping in place with their mouth hanging open like some kind of thirsty animal. Levi's eyes narrowed and he could feel the oncoming headache. Was Hanji fucking high?

"You dragged your ass over here to inform me about my date of birth?" His tone was slightly annoyed and filled with disbelief, and with good reason. Sure, he wasn't really a fan of celebrating his birthday, but it didn't mean he actually _forgot_.

"No, my little garden gnome. You know how you dislike parties?" Levi felt his brows knit together at that stupid fucking nickname. What the hell were they getting at? It was a well known fact that Levi _hated_ people. Well, _most_ people.

"I fucking hate parties, yes, that's been confirmed. Many times." His patience was already wearing thin. If Hanji didn't get to the damn point already he was gonna throttle them. His expression was beginning to darken with every second that passed and Hanji seemed oblivious to the metaphorical rain cloud that was beginning to appear over Levi.

"Weeeeeeell, what would you say if you found out that Erwin and I had purchased a trip for the 3 of us for your birthday?" After having dragged out the 'e', they rushed through the rest of their sentence in fear of Levi interrupting. _What the fuck?_

"I'd make your stupid asses ret-"

"Non-refundable." Hanji quickly interjected. _Wait_. So that hadn't been a scenario? No, of _course_ not. He could tell that they were being completely serious when he saw the expression on their face. A tight lipped smile and mischievous eyes. _Fuck_.

"Why the hell did you _or_ Erwin think this was a good idea at all?" He could easily expect shit like this from Hanji, but Erwin? He wasn't really a spontaneous kinda guy. Unless... "When did you purchases these tickets?"

He knew that was the golden question when he saw Hanji's widening eyes. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, not too patiently waiting for their response.

"Ahaha, funny thing, I'd say around 3 weeks go?" They began to rock on their heels with their arms behind their back while sending a slightly guilty smile at Levi. Not guilty enough, he thought.

"You purchased them almost a month ago?! What the _fuck_ , Hanji. Do you guys think this is fucking amusing?" He was fuming. How dare they? Not only that, but they had both kept him completely in the dark. Hanji put their hands up wanting to show that they meant no harm but this did little to placate Levi.

"Stop thinking we did this to fucking dick around, Levi!" Their outburst surprised him and the look that had settled onto their face wasn't any better. Hanji looked about ready to rip him a new asshole. He swallowed with some difficult and tried to calm himself. An angry Hanji wasn't fun to mess with. When they noticed that Levi wasn't about to throw a fit anymore, a soft look replaced the previous anger.

"Look, Levi, we're your friends, and we love you. We would never want to hurt you. The reason we did this is because we've never properly celebrated your birthday before. Wouldn't you want to do so at least once? With us? We're not gonna be around forever, Levi." The thought made Levi look away and bring up a hand to rub at his tightening throat. The thought frightened him, but he knew it was true. Nobody lasted forever and they weren't any different. He closed his eyes and inhaled a much needed breathe. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Hanji was worrying their lip between their teeth while gazing at Levi with a pleading and slightly sad look in their eyes. _Dammit_.

"When are we leaving?" Saying it made him cringe but Hanji's previously sad expression became confused.

"What do you mean?" They looked at Levi curiously.

"I mean the fucking trip, four eyes." He muttered and Hanji looked like they were going to explode. Instead, they squealed and quickly captured Levi in a literal breath taking embrace.

"I'm so excited! We're gonna have so much fun! Oh right, I have to call Erwin!" They excitedly reached into their purse and dialed Erwin's number with shaking hands. Levi watched them with an annoyed look on his face, but if you looked closely you could see warmth in his stormy gray eyes. Then it hit him.

"Wait, where are we even going?" How did that even slip his mind? Hanji was still waiting for Erwin to pick up and gave Levi an exaggerated wink. Now he was _really_ worried.

"Not really anywhere specific, unless you count the surrounding ocean." When they noticed Levi wasn't catching on, they giggled and specified. "We're going on a cruise!"

Levi's eyes widened and he openly gaped at them. He was vaguely aware of Erwin's stupid voice coming from Hanji's phone, and their triumphant rambling about being able to convince Levi, but he wasn't paying any real attention. He was going on a damn cruise. An impressed whistle interrupted his thoughts. When he turned towards the source, he noticed it had been Ymir. He'd completely forgotten she was there after Hanji had dropped the bomb.

"Good luck, boss. Maybe you'll even find a Caribbean beauty to bring back with you." She threw him a sleazy smirk and a wink. Yeah, right. He'd been single for quite a long time, and his relationships were always shallow as fuck. He knew he was a pretty attractive guy and he was also the owner of a decent establishment, meaning he had a good amount of money. A shitty cruise wasn't going to change his relationship status. He glared at Ymir and told her to mind her own damn business. She didn't seem affected and just offered him a mocking salute. He rolled his eyes and focused his attention back on Hanji when he noticed they were saying goodbye to the big-browed trash on the line. Once they were done, they turned their complete attention to Levi.

"Soooo, Erwin knows." They beamed at him. Levi snorted and shook his head. "Of course he does. You just told him, shit for brains." They pouted at the insult.

"Aren't you even a _little_ excited about this?" Their eyes searched his and he awkwardly looked away rubbing the back of his neck. He didn't want to admit that he was actually kind of looking forward to getting away from it all with his 2 best friends, but after so many years, Hanji seemed to read right though him. They smiled softly at Levi, not needing a direct answer from him.

"Alright, I just came here to let you know about our trip. The ship will be departing December 18th at 5 PM and we'll be back home by the 26th in the morning." _What?_

"Hanji... Today's the 13th. So the cruise-"

"Is in 5 days, yes." They said it as if it was no big deal. Fuck, he would have to get home and start packing immediately. He ran a hand through his hair and inhaled deeply. Leave it to his 2 idiot friends to pull some shit like this. "Alright hotstuff, I have to get back to the hospital. I have a patient in about half an hour." They smiled widely and started heading towards the door. When they were about to make their exit, they turned towards Levi and winked at him, a reassuring smile growing on their lips.

"Have a little fun, Levi." With that, they were off. He sighed in resignation and thought over Hanji's words. Maybe they were right. Everyone always said he had a permanent stick up his ass, and he was gonna prove all those fuckers wrong. Since he didn't have another customer until a few hours later, he was gonna sit his ass down on one of the couches in his shop. There were no walk in's at the moment and the other artists were working on their own clients, so the only thing that could be heard was either a few soft words between artist and canvas or the constant buzzing of the machines at work. It was relaxing and he let his eyes close for a few minutes, resting his vision and sore muscles. He began to reminisce about the past as well. It had only been him and Hanji until 6th grade, where they had met Erwin. He had honestly disliked the other boy because he considered him a 'two-faced motherfucker', but Hanji had started to drag him around with them during their outings and soon, Levi learned to accept Erwin. He realized that the boy only acted the way he did because he had trust issues and had simply developed a defense mechanism to protect himself. By the end of their first year together, they were already inseparable. They also all ended up pursuing completely different careers. Erwin ended up going to law school, the conniving fuck, while Hanji chose to major in Psychology. Their career choices fit them perfectly. While Erwin had always wanted to change the world and it's shitty laws, Hanji had dreamed all their life about helping others through words. Then there was Levi, the artist. He couldn't remember a moment in his life that didn't involve him obsessing over art. Sure, he had wanted his art degree, but he later realized how unimportant that was if you didn't have any real drive. Tattooing was a completely different story. People were trusting you with their body, knowing that whatever mark was inflicted on their skin would be completely permanent. Levi felt like he helped people in his own weird way. He still remembered that one time where a woman had come into his shop with red rimmed eyes and darker circles than his own. She had recently lost her son to cancer and had wanted Levi to tattoo a portrait of him on her back. The woman had cried with a smile on her face, thanking Levi profusely for his beautiful work. She knew she'd now be able to look at her son's face whenever she wished, even after his passing. Levi would never admit it, but his eyes had become slightly glassy when the woman had hugged him before taking her leave. His thoughts drifted until he found himself contemplating about what he would need to bring on the trip. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It was gonna be a long ass day.

* * *

 

 

"Will you fucking calm down?" Levi growled. Erwin, Hanji and himself were currently taking a taxi to get to the ship port and Hanji wouldn't stop giggling and jumping around in their seat. "They're just excited, Levi." The voice of reason spoke. How Erwin didn't feel like strangling Hanji was a damn mystery to Levi. He already had his fingers locked together while attempting to breathe evenly and he still felt like he was going to lose it.

"Fuck off, Erwin. I swear I'm gonna shove them out the fucking window if they don't sit still." He threatened. Though it fell on deaf ears because Erwin had actually plugged in his earphones right when Levi had started his rant. The stupid fuck was actually smiling peacefully while softly nodding his head to the beat of whatever song he was listening to. He wasn't even _looking_ at Levi. The grinding of his teeth was practically audible. He was definitely going to end up killing these two fools. He'd throw them overboard and no one would suspect a thing. He smiled to himself and didn't even notice the creepy chuckle that left his lips.

"Stop planning our demise, we won't die that easily, you short shit." The smile he was sporting fell comically from his face and he looked at Hanji with murder in his eyes. "Oh? I wonder." He retorted while looking out the window on his side.

They cackled loudly and Levi winced at the volume. "If you kill us, I promise to haunt your ass and never let you get laid again."

"I second that." When the fuck had Erwin started listening in on the conversation?

"No one asked you, eyebrows." Erwin just offered a hearty chuckle and shook his head at Levi. The asshole better not shit out a speech because Levi would shave off the fucker's eyebrows in his sleep if he started one. Thankfully he just turned the other way and plugged in his earphones again. Good for him, those hair slugs were going to live to see another day. A cough interrupted their banter.

"Ugh, we're here, folks." The cabbie offered a nervous smile through the rear view mirror. Erwin smiled and took out a few bills from his wallet. "Here you are, have a great day." The man quickly nodded and took the offered cash. All three of them exited the vehicle and gathered their luggage from the trunk. They made their way towards the big ass building and once they were finally inside, they were made to wait in line, ready to show their passports and cruise tickets. Thankfully they were there early and there wasn't that big of line. They reached the front of the line in no time and proceeded to hand over their documents to be inspected. Once they were done, they handed over their luggage and walked towards another damn line that happened to be longer than the last. Levi sighed and leaned against the wall, crossing his muscular arms. Hanji quickly followed suit and began to observe him.

"What?" His eyes focused on them and he waited for their response. "Are you happy, Levi?" The question took him by surprise and it seemed his face showed his confusion because Hanji quickly explained.

"I just want to know if you're happy about coming with us on this trip. I know we kinda forced this on you and I guess I'm kinda worried about how you're feeling about this." A sad smile tugged at their lips and Levi tried to dissipate their worries.

"I _am_ happy. I guess I haven't really thanked you guys for what you're doing. But it means a lot to me that you both care this much about me. So thank you. And stop fucking worrying so much, it doesn't suit you." He offered them a slight smile and Hanji beamed at him.

"You should tell Erwin that too. He'll appreciate it." They grinned and patted his shoulder while he groaned. This _definitely_ wasn't his strong suit.

"Hey Erwin." The man looked at Levi with curious eyes. It was odd for Levi to call him by his name with that tone of voice.

"Yes, Levi?"

"Thank you." The sincerity in Levi's voice was genuine and Erwin just smiled at him. "What are friends for?" Levi snorted good naturedly and got back in line with Hanji. They were almost to the front and he was just dying to get to their room on the ship so he could collapse onto his bed. When they reached the front, they had to present their passports again and decide which credit card they would like to charge whenever one of them made a purchase. Erwin immediately took out his credit card and handed it over to the man before Levi or Hanji. Erwin seemed to notice the looks his friends were giving him and shrugged.

"It's on me, don't worry about it." That was his only explanation. After Erwin's credit card information had been taken, they were each asked to have their picture taken. They then received 3 sets of plastic card that had their name printed on them with a few other details.

"Now, this card should be kept safe. It will basically be your own personal credit card on board. Whenever you would like to make a purchase of any kind, you can use this card and the bill will be sent to Mr. Smith." The man handed them each their own card and bid them farewell and happy traveling.

"This is so exciting! I can't wait to head to the bar!" Hanji was practically salivating at the thought and Levi smirked.

"Good luck with that." Erwin just rolled his eyes at Levi's obvious amusement. They arrived at a ramp that lead to the entrance of the ship and made their way up while Levi tried to calm his nerves. Hopefully this giant ass ship didn't sink because he wasn't the best swimmer. At the top they were greeted by a few attendants and were asked to show their cards. They made their way inside without a problem and Levi stood in awe of the interior. The floor was a dark colored sparkling granite, in the middle there was a lounge area with beautiful leather red couches and a gorgeous grand piano in the corner. Small tables littered the area with a few menus on each one. What really captured his attention though were the 2 giant spiral staircases on either side. Each floor was see through and full of crystals, and right across from the set of stairs was a beautiful modern style elevator with see through doors. Damn, this place looked like a 5 star hotel. He noticed Hanji and Erwin were also stunned with the ships beauty judging by their wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Oi, let's get a move on." They both closed their mouths and nodded in a daze. They made their way to the front where a large crowd had gathered. People were showing attendants their cards and asking where there room should be. Levi followed their example, strayed from the crowd and called out to the nearest worker.

"Excuse me. Could you tell us where our room is?" The woman took his card and nodded while handing it back to him.

"The fastest way would be the elevator. Your room will be on floor 8." Levi nodded his head in thanks and tried to wrestle through the crowd to get back to Erwin and Hanji to let them know. But a body suddenly bumped into his and he flinched and hurried to steady himself and the other individual.

"What the fu-" He looked up, ready to tear the asshole a new one but he cut himself off and felt his eyes widen. The person before him was breathtaking. The first thing he noticed were the boys large teal eyes. They were framed with long and beautifully curled black lashes and the color, Levi didn't even know if he could incorporate that much color in a damn _painting_. Blues and greens with specks of gold made up the strangers eyes. His sun kissed skin made the color pop even more while his shoulder length, shaggy dark brown locks gave him a sexy tousled look. He felt his eyes drop to the strangers lips and he gulped and licked his suddenly dry lips. Plump pink lips that were just begging for Levi to bite and savor. He suddenly noticed what the fuck he was doing. He was holding onto the arms of a stranger while eye fucking him. He felt a blush rise onto his cheeks and he coughed into his fist, finally freeing the boy from his hold.

"Sorry about that." He noticed the boys eye's widen while a pretty blush began to stain his tan cheeks. _Cute._

"U-um, it's fine..." He noticed that the beautiful boy was slightly shaking and had his arms protectively rapped around his frame. He kept his head down slightly while alternating between looking up at Levi through his lashes and then back to the floor. Fuck, it took all of his self control not to pounce the kid. He was slightly worried as well when the shaking didn't stop and only got worse.

"Hey, are you okay?" Levi felt his brows scrunching up in concern and the boy completely froze. He closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply a few times until he was considerably calmer. He slowly opened his eyes and fixed Levi with a small, shaky apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry... Um-"

"Eren!" A female voice suddenly interrupted the boy. "There you are. Is everything okay?" The woman looked at the teal eyed beauty with a soft look in her eyes. Levi cleared his throat slightly and the woman turned towards him with narrowed eyes.

"And you are?" She practically hissed at him.

"Mikasa! Don't be rude. I just bumped into him.." The boy, _Eren_ , quickly intervened and placed a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. She visibly relaxed and nodded at him.

"Excuse my rudeness."She said with little emotion in her voice. Levi snorted softly at her shitty apology. "It's fine, I don't mind." She nodded and turned towards Eren.

"Let's go to our room? Armin's waiting for us near the elevator." Well, they definitely weren't _together_. If anything, they seemed more like siblings which made Levi feel more at ease. _Wait_ , what the _fuck?_ He didn't even know this kid. Why should he care if Eren was dating the other brat? He shook his head and looked back at Eren.

"Oh, alright." Eren suddenly focused his eyes back on him and Levi felt his fucking heart flutter in his chest. "I'm still sorry about earlier...?"

"Levi. My names Levi." He quickly filled in the blank for the brunette and the boy smiled shyly at him. _Why the fuck is this kid so adorable?_

"Well, bye Levi." Fucking Christ, he almost groaned at how his name sounded on Eren's lips but stopped himself before he could. He didn't want to creep this beauty out, or leave a bad impression either.

"Later, kid." He smirked and walked away from duo, resuming his mission of finding his two friends. The brunette's eyes wouldn't leave his mind for even a second and his fingers were just itching to get to his sketchpad to draw them. He quickly spotted Erwin and Hanji sitting on a couch across from where he was standing. They were both sporting equally devious smirks and Levi _knew_ he was fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as promised, this chapter is longer than the first and it's the length I plan on keeping the rest of the chapter, if not longer. Btw, the stairs mentioned here are actually real! I was stunned when I saw them on my trip. Just look up Swarovski crystal stairs ;P

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo, do you guys think this story is worth continuing? I'm a little rusty with my writing, but I promise it'll get better ;) Next chapter will be in Levi's POV and it's actually almost halfway done! It will also be longer, so look forward to that :3


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